Assessing if COVID-19 is divine judgement

by | Posted May 1st at 9:44pm

As we live within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic reality, many have asked: are we witnessing an apocalyptic period of God’s judgement – is this a curse for our universal wickedness? Such tough questions can drive us into an in-depth study of the New Testament. 

I have posited this query in a previous article. To ask it, we may be placing the New Covenant context into an overlap with the option of receiving God’s blessings for living holy obedient lives or his curses for disobedience and harm done to others, including the devastation of our natural habitat created by Yahweh. These are the very same blessings or curses of old Theocratic Israel or the apocalyptic doom of Revelation. You can see reflections of patterned teachings revealing that the Sovereign Lord of creation is constantly at work in the affairs of men. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow when it comes to bringing discipline through cause and effect in the ongoing affairs of collective humanity. 

The history in the Word of God reveals international political conflicts with ongoing military campaigns with both successes and failures among old Israel dependent on obedience to his covenant laws. For those who were led by godly men and women like Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David and Deborah, obedient living generally brings prosperous living conditions and peace in the neighbourhoods of the righteous. On the other hand, when Israel sinned, worshipping idols, robbing the proletariat, twisting justice, or downright denying prophetic warnings, history revealed elevated adversarial oppression, economic ruin, and dwindling food harvests blighted by the effect of pestilence, or villages plundered by enemies. Yahweh’s willingness to use extreme measures to accomplish his purposes is marvellous to behold. Things got so bad in Jeremiah’s day, despite his constant warning, that God raised up a warrior, King Nebuchadnezzar to exile Judah, and Israel to Babylon. 

In scripture, the prophets from Moses to Malachi always advised that the leaders and the people look to God and come under conscientious self-censure if adversarial military advances were imminent, food harvests failed, or pestilences occurred. They were to examine if causative sin brought on the catastrophic event and called for immediate repentance. The New Testament also begins with calls for repentance, first from John the Baptist, then Jesus and later his apostles as here noted:

God’s wrath comes with both warnings and mercy evidenced in the pattern of smaller catastrophes preceding greater ones, giving generous opportunity for repentance sooner rather than paying larger consequences later.(Habakkuk 3:2; 1 Chronicles 21:13). 

The Bible records both mercy and judgments offered for our historic admonition. Ten plagues of Egypt increased in severity prior to the Exodus. Why? A very stubborn Pharaoh influenced by his minions of sorcery “did not listen”; rather he “turned and went into his house with no concern even for this.” (see Exodus 7:22–23, NASB). God intensified the judgements to allow discernment to allow the leader of Egypt to wake up. Similarly, today, we are not to dismiss the extraordinary acts of God as quirks of nature, as only forces, we can subdue or harness with enough resilience and resourcefulness to magically turn into our profitable gain. 

Scripture labels this mindset, hardening the heart (Exodus 8:19; Proverbs 28:14). It is dangerous, and it is a process that God will allow to come finally to the forefront of judgement. Many Christians are trying to pinpoint eschatological evidence of where we are in history’s timeline to see if this COVID-19 pandemic lines up with the book of Revelation’s timing with the soon return of Christ as judge over the entire earth.

Rather than look at this crisis only in the context of the future as prophecy, I suggest that we assess the teaching of canonical scripture at our juncture of time – this stage of wicked adulterous moral collapse in this, our current period in 2020 of redemptive history. Over-emphasis on eschatological determinations can blind us in doctrinal complexity. I suggest we instead look at our Lord’s red-letter teachings in scripture. He offers solid prophetic confirmation to advise our consciences that something may be amiss in our personal lives. You can see what Jesus said would unwind in the last days is happening right now: “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come”(Matthew 24:10-14) 

Or look at Christ’s parable of Jesus’ about the rich man and Lazarus indicating that many have judgement coming to them. (Luke 16:27–31). 

It is wise not to claim inerrant inspiration as we contemplate the woes of humanity under heaven as we see the resounding potential warning for biblical waywardness. Jeremiah expressed God’s frustration at how God’s own chosen people stubbornly closed their ears to many prophets “sent again and again” (Jeremiah 25:4, 29:19). Perhaps this indicts us too. 

Has God got our attention yet?

There have been many concerns expressed about suffering humanity, global warming, job losses due to globalization, and the moral degradation we are witnessing now in our world that I refer to as Digital Babylon. Perhaps we need to reflect on why God disrupts the human cycle of selfishness by terrifying means to call us into account. Though rare, global pandemics seriously affect international trading of the most prosperous, powerful nations—inherently prone to the prideful pursuit of profits and indifference – often adversarial – taunts toward God (Deuteronomy 8:10–14). 

Is this pandemic just a singular event in a pattern of God’s catastrophic warnings striking the world, especially North America, over the past 20 years: 9/11; Superstorm Sandy; hurricanes Katrina, Maria, Irma, and Harvey; California wildfires; Midwest tornado spikes; swine flu, and now COVID-19. 

We don’t need to look too far from our own back yard for reasons why we might face judgements. The Sovereign Lord has always opposed the pride of man, using plagues, and disasters to wake up the arrogance of humanity. James 4:13–17 condemns the sin of pushing back on God, living immoral lives as dysfunctional atheists – operating as though God is paying us no real attention – thinking that our security is bound to complex financial strategies, to protecting our bottom line.

God’s is concerned for the poor, the marginalized, the vulnerable orphan, widow, immigrant, and the refugee. Just look at the statement Jesus made as he wrapped up his sermon on the mount in the context how we live today: 

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23

I doubt that the Lord of Life will allow prosperity to continue among a nation whose collective conscience is not concerned to stand up for the rights or means of others (Exodus 22:21–24; Deuteronomy 10:16–20; Isaiah 10:1–4; Jeremiah 5:28–29;  Malachi 3:1–6). Here is proof: “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered” (Proverbs 21:13). Let us not harden our hearts and muffle the Spirit – write off these warnings as simple acts of nature, when the Sovereign Lord is in control of nature when “even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:27. Shouldn’t we at least ask ourselves universally if we could be under divine judgment?

    

Article posted by Glen R. Jackman, founder of GraceProclaimed.org

Glen has optimized his eldership role to teach the full scope of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ without boundaries.
You can read his testimony.